OK, I''m goint to say it. I don''t like being the only one but I feel I must get it out there.

I don''t like what I have seen so far in the way of toilets, and the generaln space given to the average head. I mean...they are OK if you just use your boat on week ends or day cruise. But come on! What is the deal with the size of these things?

Let me go back in time before worrying about marine toilets was an issue. When my young bride and I purchased our first home ( on land) we were quick to remodel the whole place...bringing it(and us) into the ninties. Upgraded to granit counters, all wood floors, huge kitchen I could park a car in! Huge lagoon pool with swaying palm trees for the whole effect. But one thing was always high on the list. New toilets! Not your typical, average crapper. No, we went for Kohler BIG-BOY''s! Ever seen one? Nice and long, and wide. Made for real Americans...alive today. Not what we were back in the 1800''s. Not european size xxxl( which is a medium in America! No, real comfortable comodes you don''t have to fit onto or try to ajust your ...uhm, parts to fit(guys understand).

Alright, smash cut to now. I am spoiled. Nothing I can do about it. or at least nothing I will do about it. I will simply scour the earth for a more habitable can. Unless someone out there knows a place to look for a more "American" size head, saving me years of anguish and uncomfortable magazine reading.

By the way, I do understand that the actual size of the space in the head is limited and enlarging to fit bigger fixtures is often impractical if not impossible. But I am thinking of a larger boat of maybe 45 ft on up)where reworking a head(bathroom) to be more enviting and practical is possible in many situations. I saw a beautiful toilet on a Italian Comet as well as a Italian Ferretti Ketch. It appeared large and inviting! I can''t believe I said that. But it really looked solid and of a good size. But the broker new nothing about the brand or its origin. Man, it was a work of art. Those Italians!

I have been waiting to see if someone woulld address this problem but nooooo! I hate toilets as the design is poor at best and they never seem to work right leaks and your parts hang down and swab the bowl yeeechhtt!I don''t know who makes a bigger ergonomic bowl but I will find out. Maybe King O Flush has something they are located in Ft Lauderdale I think.

Ok I did some research into heads and here is what I found so far first you get a Lewis Marine catalog for five bucks at
www.lewismarine.com if you dont know them they are a large warehouse in Ft Lauderdale and the catalog is like a Sears catalog. You will use it for many refrences worth every penny as everything is photographed and clear pictures you can see. Next you will see the head section several pages of parts and blow ups of heads measurments are the best part.Alantes electric toilet
19 1/2" X 14 1/2" Crown Head 2 is next at almost the same measurments both are by Raritan but here is the catch $1024-$1189 whow my butt would be happy sitting on that right? The next was the Jabsco DS series quiet flush DS17 series full size 15 1/2 wide and 19 1/4 deep and only $969
(no motor) such a deal and I thought I hated my little potty. I like the Jabsco its an inch wider Than the other heads better for many reasons.

Well, shid old bloody toilets, they are to small, they leak, or bloody expensive systems.
There are decent sized bowls out there. Just can''t find my list of suppliers, is stowed some where in a file in the most far corner of my forepiek. However, what you are looking for is already stuff which is put in superyachts. Good size bowles with a efficent pump are often used in smaller commercial boats like tucks, pilot boats and so on. It might be an idea to have a look at the shipyards. Some of these systems can be converted in to a electric pump system. Befor you by one of these make sure they fit in your boat since the batrooms on yachts are usualy pretty small.
If you reconcider and want to look for good non leaking yacht size head, I recommand Jabsco. We are using one of their pump toilets on a 65 ft day charter cat with about 9000 guests using the toilet per saison and this more than once a trip. The complete toilet is in the third season and isn''t leaking a drop. Even this thing get cleand with bleach and desinfectant every day. Ok, the bowl is usual yacht size but at least it''s a good head. The only thing they don''t like is to be taken apart every second day to unblock them. That''s when they start to leak and you start using sikaflex to reseal them and it''s gettin worth every time you take them apart.

I went for the Lavac system. (They have two sizes. I went for the larger).

Unlike you we actually have a small boat (27) and the old head was mounted partway under the V-berth..which is pretty stupid as you need to get your partner to either get out of bed or at least roll-over and bury her head in the pillows and face the hull while you lift her side of the bed to get to the toilet. There is just no romantic way to do this!

Then it struck me like a bolt of pure inspiration!

The Navigators seat!

It is at the other end of the boat, near the companionway. It alread has a shower curtain type screen to protect the chart area in case there is spray blowing in....

I just rebuilt the chair so that it was a pad-topped box. The top hinges out of the way and there is the head, in all its glowy (the inside of the box-lid has a toilet pepar holder). There is even "elbow room"!

Best of all, it combines the two most "under utilised" areas of the boat into the same space (you use your galley and settes about 20 times more then you use either your head or you nav station). It has earned a lot of bad jokes...but I couldn''t be more pleased with the results.

I would also highly recommend the Lavac. I have had three different heads over the years, and the Lavac is definitely my throne of choice. It is simple to operate, and can be worked on easily. Look at it in the Defender catalog, it is English. I had a Baby Blake which had a Royal Doulton porcelain bowl before that, and while it was very pretty to look at, it does not compare in function to the Lavac.
I hope everything comes out alright in your choice.....
Jim

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